Economic development a key issue across county in ’04

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
Economic development was a buzz word in Marion County through 2004 as communities confronted declining enrollments in schools and recognized the need for population growth.

A movement to hire an economic development director for the county was a hot topic, then cooled as the year progressed while an economic development professional from Texas lit some fires with her presentations on agri-tourism.

Those issues, plus a horrific year for car accidents made 2004 a notable year across the county.

January

Chuck McLinden of rural Marion began his first term as board president of the Marion County Fair.

Calvin Riggs, a Marion High School senior, died Jan. 4 of complications resulting from a car accident that occurred at about 1:15 a.m.

Marion County commissioners were urged by a small delegation of local government and economic leaders to hire an economic development director for the county. The commissioners created a task force to explore the issue.

The Marion City Commission approved a $25,000 guaranty on the assisted-living facility to be built south of the football stadium.

The Florence City Council heard in early January that the former Florence Health Care nursing home, one of the larger employers in the community, was without buyer again. It eventually was closed.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, removed the remaining 10 exotic animals from a confinement operated by Chris McDonald between Peabody and Burns. Two tigers belonging to McDonald were previously killed. Removed were three tigers, a female black leopard, two male lions, one female lion, one male leopard and two bobcats.

Leaders in Lincolnville called a meeting of interested residents Jan. 22 to help determine whether a new community building will be funded through the state’s Kan-Step program, which would provide 60 percent of the funding if the community provides the labor as the remaining 40 percent investment.

Tampa residents are enjoying their new sign along Kansas Highway 15 that beckons travelers to visit the community. The steel sign is cut in the shape of an ox-drawn covered wagon and measures 21 feet long. It was built with contributions from Tampa citizens and workers at Donahue Manufacturing near Durham.

February

The Florence City Council voted Feb. 16 to suspend Police Chief Merlin Stout for one week with pay and then without pay should accusations prove true that he improperly touched a woman without her consent in an area restaurant.

Parties adversarial to Marion County and its Board of Commissioners were turning land and money over to the county in a settlement agreement signed by the commissioners Feb. 9. The series of litigations concern the old landfill southwest of Marion.

Lehigh City Council hired Martin Rhodes of Hillsboro to be its part-time public-nuisance officer. Rhodes fills a similar role for the city of Hillsboro.

Canton-Galva High School senior John Larson found out he earned a perfect score of 36 on his American College Training achievement test in late October. Only three of the 11,000 seniors in Kansas who took the test earned a 36.

Chet Roberts told the USD 411 Board of Education of his intention to resign as superintendent and high school principal at the end of the school year. Roberts was first hired as a teacher and coach at Goessel in 1970.

The cities of Hillsboro and Marion were close to finalizing an interlocal agreement to seek state grant money to study the feasibility of a joint water district that might ease the considerable expense of upgrading two water-treatment plants in the future.

Gene Winkler was appointed by the Marion City Commission to be its contact representative for seeking a Kan-Step grant that Winkler said could result in a $550,000 movie theater and community center for the city by Thanksgiving.

County Attorney Susan Robson informed the Marion County Board of Commissioners that the State Board of Tax Appeals had ruled the rails-to-trails group Central Kansas Conservancy was exempt from paying property taxes on abandoned railroad right-of-way land through Marion and McPherson counties. Instead, owners of adjacent land will pay the estimated $300 in annual taxes.

The county commissioners decided they would likely forward a resolution for the November election that would enable voters in Marion County to decide whether to allow liquor by the drink.

Joe Base was appointed Goessel Police Chief. He also works as a police officer for the city of Walton.

The Goessel Scholars Bowl team of John Wiens, Ryan Janzen, Adam Goering, Janessa Wedel and Garrett Hiebert won third place among 16 teams at the Class 1A competition held Feb. 14.

Clay Shewey, a seventh-grader at Hillsboro Middle School, won the Marion County Spelling Bee when he spelled “tattletale” correctly. Last year’s champion, Cameron Voth of Goessel, placed second.

March

Marion’s Chingawassa Days steering committee announced that the classic rock group Little River Band has been booked for the city’s annual celebration in early June.

John Fast, who has been principal for kindergarteners through eighth-graders at Goessel, was named to succeed Chet Roberts as USD 411 superintendent. Fast will continue to be K-6 principal. A principal will be sought for grades seven through 12.

The county commission approved a $122,000 county-wide radio system for emergency services, climaxing a two-year discussion. The system will paid for with $90,000 in 911 funds plus federal homeland security grants.

Responding to a protest from county workers, the county commission delayed action on creating a position for an economic-development director. The county workers pointed out that they had gotten a raise in several years and the county could not afford to add an economic development director.

Lincolnville was informed it did qualify for a Kan-Step grant to build a new community center.

The Lehigh City Council approved a nuisance-control ordinance at its March 8 meeting following two hours of discussion with some 15 concerned Lehigh citizens.

The Marion City Commission approved the purchase of a new $59,200 bucket truck for the city crew.

Marion City Commission members were told the city pool has rusted leak holes the size of a little finger.

Marion County Lake resident Helen Beckham is spearheading efforts to erect a 6-foot bronze statue in memory of the 250 or so Civilian Conservation Corps workers who built the lake in the 1930s.

Rhonda Loucks was the driving force behind the opening of the Burns Community Pantry, a resource for residents needing food. The pantry is connected with the national organization called America’s Second Harvest.

April

Marion community leaders and project developer Bob Brooks gathered April 2 for a ground-breaking ceremony to begin construction on the assisted-living facility on the east edge of the city.

Martin Tice defeated Troy Leith, 94-37, in a race to be mayor of Marion that was only technically competitive. Leith’s name was on the ballot even though he had withdrawn from the race because of plans to move out of town.

County commissioners backed away from a plea from Warren Kreutziger, owner of Canada Bait & Tackle, to allow beer sales on Sunday.

The USD 408 Board of Education accepted recommendations to nonrenew two staff contracts in an effort to reduce the budget because of an enrollment decline. The two staff were Elaine Shannon, media specialist for the elementary school, and Matt Robert, high school industrial education instructor. The board also approved a recommendation to drop baseball and softball as varsity sports at Marion High School.

USD 411 Board of Education hired Curt Graves as principal for grades 7 through 12. He had been teaching science at Sterling junior high school.

May

County commissioners signed a final agreement that will enable the cleanup of the old landfill southwest of Marion to Kansas Department of Health and Environment standards.

A mare and her colt that fell into a sink hole on railroad property west of Hillsboro were rescued in the early morning hours of May 6, thanks to the joint effort of law enforcement personnel and volunteers.

In response to that rescue, the county commission directed County Attorney Susan Robson on May 12 to write letters “to bring to a head” moves to force Central Kansas Conservancy either to accept the liability and maintenance of abandoned railroad right-of-way through the county or to abandon ownership to adjacent landowners.

Several Marion County residents have appeared as witnesses in the ongoing trial of Terry Nichols, accused of being a co-conspirator in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Tim Donahue, Lincolnville, who employed Nichols at his ranch for six months in 1994, and Ed Davies, former sheriff, were called to testify.

A double-fatality accident occurred May 10 in a construction zone at Milepost 287 on U.S. Highway 50 about 11/2 miles west of the Harvey/Marion county line. Killed were Brandi R. Billbe, 40, and Lori B. Leeders, 43, both of Marion. A third passenger, Ashley Billbe, 16, was hospitalized in critical condition.

The city of Florence encountered a water emergency when the city water plant took a lightning hit during an electrical storm, causing damage to the clear-well cover. Water had to be purchased and hauled in from Peabody because the system was unable to keep up with the demand.

Two pit bulls owned by Melanie Druse of Marion were euthanized by the Marion Police Department after the dogs attacked a cat owned by the Rob Hett family of Marion.

After hearing from a room full of concerned parents, the USD 408 Board of Education reinstated softball and baseball as varsity sports at Marion High School.

Howard Collett of Marion announced his decision not to seek reelection to the county commission.

Tim Parmley resigned his position as a member of the Florence City Council and as newly appointed fire chief for the city.

Leroy Wetta of Peabody announced he would not seek reelection to the county commission.

Michelle Abbott Becker, emergency preparedeness and communications director, reported to the county commission that Marion County will receive federal 2004 Homeland Security grant funds totaling more than $498,000.

June

Good weather and entertainment drew sizable crowds to the Chingawassa Days celebration in Marion during the first weekend of the month. The Little River Band sang to a huge crowd on Saturday night.

The Marion campus of Butler County Community College offered a massage therapy program. Previously, the program was available only in El Dorado or Andover.

County commissioners added their support to an effort initiated by Hillsboro officials to seek federal assistance to chemically treat the blue-green algae in Marion Reservoir.

Canton native Aaron Bandy, a first-class cadet in the U.S. Air Force Academy, marched with 99 fellow Air Force students in the funeral procession honoring President Ronald Reagan, who died June 5.

Nineteen students from Marion High School, under the direction of superviser Diana Costello, senior English instructor at Marion High, completed a 10-day trip through Ireland, Wales, England and France. The itinerary emphasizes seeing sights that pertained to her English literature curriculum.

Representatives from the Kansas Department of Transportation presented two possible configurations for a proposed roundabout at the June 7 meeting of the Florence City Council. The roundabout would be built at the intersection of U.S. highways 77 and 50, which has been the site of several serious accidents over the years.

While assuring the Florence City Council that allegations against him were false, Police Chief Merlin Stout resigned his position anyway.

The county commission halted talk about hiring an economic development director for the county in case newly elected commissioners who will fill two seats on the commission following the November election don’t favor the staff addition.

The Lehigh City Council renewed its contract for fire-protection in 2005 with the city of Hillsboro after trying it during 2004.

Shawmar Oil & Gas Co. of Marion delighted both county commissioners and Marion County firefighters when it was announced the company had offered to fund the Labor Day fireworks display at Marion County Lake. A tight county budget had put the event in jeopardy. Shawmar also said it would provide a fund-raising meal in the county lakehouse for the display.

Goessel celebrated the installation of lights at Voth Field with the first night games in town history June 24. The community project, spearheaded by the city’s recreation commission, took 10 years to complete.

The Florence City Council, as part of a cost-cutting effort, agreed at its June 21 meeting to rescind the ordinance that awards them financial compensation for their council positions.

July

Emergency responders and state transportation officials took action in the hope of preventing more multi-vehicle accidents that occurred on consecutive days in a Marion County construction zone along U.S. Highway 50 during the first week of July. The two accidents, which killed seven people and injured five more, occurred when semitrucks ran into vehicles that were stopped.

It was reported in July that more than 100 people in Marion County are sporting trimmer waistlines and fitter bodies for participating in the new 32-week Healthy Fit program offered by Hillsboro Community Medical Center and St. Luke Hospital in Marion.

The county commission directed County Attorney Susan Robson to write a letter to state transportation officials urging that the Kansas Highway Patrol practice tough enforcement on the highways in the light of recent fatal accidents at the construction zone on U.S. 50.

A proposal to add jailers prompted the county commission to discuss the possibility of closing the county jail instead because it might be cheaper to pay a fee to house prisoners at the Chase County jail. The following week, commissioners talked about building a larger jail in Marion County that might actually generate revenue for the county.

Reports of as much as 12 inches of rain from Thursday, July 22, through Saturday, July 24, caused flooding in and around Hillsboro. Four hard-surfaced county roads-Indigo, Kanza, Nighthawk and Sunflower-were closed to traffic after a deluge on Friday. At least one emergency rescue was performed by the sheriff’s department when a car carrying a mother and her children was stranded in rising water.

The annual Relay for Life, held this year in Marion, raised a record $24,773 for the American Cancer Society’s battle against cancer. About 130 people participated in the event, which started Friday evening and continued until Saturday morning.

The county commission voted to put $50,000 outside the general fund in the 2005 budget to hire what would be called either an economic development director, a county counselor or a county manager. It was seen as a compromise measure with Commissioner Bob Hein reporting resistance to the idea of hiring an economic development director outright.

Lincolnville received word it was awarded a Kan-Step grant of $181,664 to help build a new community center.

At a meeting of various city and county officials, Tony Clyde, a limnologist for the Tulsa District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said using copper sulfate treatment to kill blue-green algae at Marion Reservoir would be cost prohibitive at $300,000 to $400,000. A mechanical solution through aeration would be a more reasonable approach.

August

Dan Holub, Jim Barnett and Sam Brownback won the only contested races in the Aug. 3 primary election. Holub defeated Max Hayen, 382-282, for the Republican nomination to fill a vacancy on the county commission. Republicans Barnett and Brownback were running for the state and U.S. senates, respectively.

The county commission approved a four-mill tax hike at its Aug. 16 meeting to raise more than $370,000 to rebuild 35 miles of county hard-surfaced road that provide access to Peabody. The following week, the commissioners rescinded that action when they were alerted to alternate strategies for freeing money for the project within the existing financial framework.

The Social and Rehabilitation Services office in Marion closed its doors at the end of the month. The state has established “access points” around the county to maintain a presence here.

Lincolnville leaders broke ground for their new community building Aug. 12. The project will be funded with a Kan-Step grant of more than $180,000 and $118,000 in in-kind material and labor from community residents.

Marion County leaders gathered in Tampa Aug. 19 to hear Remelle Farrar, director of the Texas Prairie Rivers Region Inc., talk about the economic potential of developing agri-tourism in Marion County.

Officials at Marion Reservoir have added zebra mussels to their list of worries. The unwelcomed mussels were discovered in El Dorado Lake last summer and the opportunity exits for them to spread to the local reservoir. Zebra mussels cause problems by clogging municipal water intakes and altering lake ecosystems.

Lee Leiker began working as the new superintendent at USD 408 schools. He succeeds Gerry Henderson, who retired following the 2003-04 school year.

Alvin Scobee was a named the new chief of police for Florence.

Robert Kiblinger began work as the new superintendent for Centre USD 397. Prior to coming to Centre, he was a principal at Council Grove High School.

August

Andrew John Maki, 58, of Marion County was killed when his vehicle crossed the center line on U.S. Highway 56 and struck a semitruck head-on east of Marion.

The county commission authorized up to $2,000 for a new role as the umbrella government entity for a new group called the Agri-tourism and Marion Reservoir Watershed Coalition. The money would be used for a two-day agri-tourism conference Oct. 22-23 in Tampa with Remelle Farrar of Canadian, Texas.

U.S. Rep Jerry Moran presented Clarence Weyand with medals he earned 60 years ago as a U.S. soldier in World War II. Why the 91-year-old Weyand did not receive his medals earlier is not known. The American Legion Riders of Canton took up the cause on his behalf.

The Goessel school board voted to move ahead with plans to build a new press box and concession stand at the football field once the fall season is completed.

The new county-wide radio system for emergency responders went on line in late September. Most of the 55 new radios that were purchased with federal funding were distributed in the southern part of the county.

Three Marion teenagers involved in a one-vehicle accident Sept. 25 were expected to make full recoveries. The three teenagers, all students at Marion High School, were Alyssa Seacat, 15, Toni Gordon, 16, and driver Robyn Kukuk, 17.

The Marion City Commission directed City Attorney Dan Baldwin to write an enabling ordinance that would lead them into a second home-rule ordinance to hold landlords liable for tenants’ delinquent utility bills.

October

A statue honoring workers of the 28th Civilian Conservation Corps was dedicated Oct. 2 at Marion County Park & Lake. The CCC workers built the lake from 1933 to 1942. Helen Beckham, who lives at the lake, spearheaded the effort to have the statue erected here.

Don and DeVon Stahl of Goessel were among the civilians who assisted lake and law-enforcement officials in the rescue of a North Newton couple when their bass boat began taking on water Oct. 2.

Irene J. Tajchman, 56, of Marion was killed Oct. 2 when the vehicle she was driving was struck on the passenger side by a semitruck at the intersection of Remington Road and U.S. Highway 56.

With a nationwide shortage of flu vaccine, the Marion County Health Department became the only source in Marion County for flu shots-but it had only enough vaccine to inoculate those deemed at highest risk.

The intersection of U.S. 50 and Indigo Road was closed to traffic Oct. 18 for reconstruction. The project, which encountered weather delays, was not completed until Thanksgiving weekend in November.

Burns was one of 19 communities in Kansas to be named a “Community of Excellence” winner in the state’s PRIDE program.

The county commission received word Oct. 18 that Marion County and three of its cities would receive $738,900 in federal and state disaster funds for June and July storm damage.

At the same meeting, commissioners were alerted to a deepening problem in billing for ambulance services that could potentially cost the county tens of thousands of dollars by some estimates. The county auditor reported that most ambulance calls for 2003 and 2004 had not been billed yet. At its next meeting, the commissioners approved a strategy for catching up on the billing process.

Three out-of-county men were arrested following a high-speed car chase with county and city law enforcement officers Oct. 23. The chase began when law-enforcement personnel observed the three men removing anhydrous ammonia at the Agri-Producers elevator in Tampa.

The two-day seminar on agri-tourism in Tampa drew 90 participants from Marion County and beyond.

November

Voters in Marion County approved an initiative Nov. 2 allowing liquor by the drink with a 53 percent affirmation. The initiative did not pass in either of Hillsboro two precincts or in six of the 22 townships.

Voters gave President George W. Bush strong support with 73 percent of the vote. Also receiving strong support were Republican incumbents Sam Brownback for the U.S. Senate, Jerry Moran for the U.S. House of Representatives, Jim Barnett and Jay Emler for the Kansas Senate, and Don Dahl for the Kansas House. Dan Holub and Randy Dallke won uncontested races for the county commission. Voter turnout in Marion County was about 11 percent higher than it was in the 2000 general election.

Thanks to ideal weather, the annual Marion County Toy Run drew a record number of participants and raised a record amount of money Nov. 6. Some 200 motorcycles and 18 classic cars participated. The meal and auction after the parade raised more than $10,000 to help children in low-income families in the county. The previous record was $8,300.

Terri D. Thompson, 33, of Ramona died of injuries sustained in a one-car accident seven miles south of that community. She was a volunteer firefighter and was employed as a certified nurse aide at two nursing homes in Hillsboro.

Members of Goessel’s city council and school board met together Nov. 9 to discuss ways to reverse an ongoing decline in enrollment in the school district. From a high of 339 students in 1996, enrollment has fallen to 282 for this year and is projected to be 271 for the next school year. That loss translates into a decrease in state aid of about $440,000.

Marcia Brubacher, elementary school music teacher at Goessel, was named the outstanding elementary music educator for the South Central District of the Kansas Music Educators Association.

December

Students and staff at Goessel Elementary School were forced to move to temporary locations after a gas leak was detected outside the building Dec. 1. Classes were canceled at GES Dec. 3 to allow the gas company to complete inspections and give staff a chance to develop a plan for temporary relocation. Superintendent John Fast said children were never in danger during the incident.

A group of eight concerned citizens from Tampa asked the county commission to remedy deteriorating conditions of the two hard-surfaced roads that enter their town from the south and the west.

Goessel City Council hired Joe Base as the city’s public works director. He will succeed Arlen Goertzen, who resigned after 15 years to accept a job at Showalter Villa in Hesston. Base will continue to be police chief, too.

The Marion City Commission tentatively approved at its Dec. 20 meeting a fireworks show to celebrate New Year’s. Hett Construction and Tampa State Bank will co-sponsor the event.

The county commission accepted a bid of $165,100 from Unruh Excavation of Moundridge Dec. 20 to move the dirt to cover the old landfill southwest of Marion.

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